Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey initiated a $1 million taxpayer-funded campaign in June intended to discourage individuals from seeking assistance from “crisis pregnancy centers” that typically have religious affiliations and advise against abortions. The campaign encompasses advertisements on social media, billboards, radio, and buses cautioning people to steer clear of these centers labeled “anti-abortion,” asserting that they do not offer reliable comprehensive reproductive health care.
Operators of these centers have united with a national conservative law firm to contest the campaign, claiming it violates their constitutional rights. The American Center for Law and Justice, based in Washington, filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Your Options Medical, which manages four anti-abortion pregnancy clinics in the eastern region of Massachusetts.
The legal action names Gov. Healey, state Department of Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein, and Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director of the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about equal access to reproductive health care. The lawsuit argues that the state’s initiative breaches free speech and equal protection rights, asserting religious discrimination against the pregnancy crisis centers.
Healey affirmed that the lawsuit will not deter the state from its stance on reproductive freedom. She emphasized the state’s commitment to ensuring women have access to necessary care. The Department of Public Health declined to provide a statement, and the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation did not respond to requests for comment.
Goldstein defended the initiative, stating that individuals often visit anti-abortion centers unknowingly, posing risks to their health. Your Options Medical, licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health since 1999, operates the sole “pro-life mobile medical unit” in the state.
The campaign’s objectives include informing residents about the purported dangers of anti-abortion centers, such as offering abortion-related care without providing abortions, causing delays in necessary healthcare, and employing unqualified staff. The pregnancy centers refute these allegations as false.
According to the state, a dedicated website has been established to help residents access reproductive health care, while the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation created an online map to identify what they term as “fake abortion clinics.” The lawsuit requests the cessation of any public campaign that falsely accuses Your Options Medical of misconduct or being a public safety threat.
Following the Supreme Court’s removal of abortion-related constitutional protections in 2022, states have taken varied approaches towards anti-abortion pregnancy clinics. While red states have allocated significant funds to these organizations, Democratic-leaning states have endeavored to restrict their operations. For instance, in California, a lawsuit was filed against an anti-abortion group and a chain of counseling centers for allegedly misleading women by offering unverified treatments to reverse medication abortions. Similarly, Illinois introduced a law penalizing anti-abortion counseling centers for using deception, but the law was blocked by a U.S. District Judge, who deemed it a violation of the First Amendment.